In a press statement, Tiong, who is also the Bintulu MP, regarded this a serious matter. He doubted why Chong had been ignorant of such happenings.

"May be he knows it and pretends that he did not know so as not to become unpopular during general elections. May be, he was worried that if he lodged a complaint on the matter, he would end up in trouble with the culprits."

He said during the parliamentary debate, Chong had accused the government of being cruel and not showing concern for the cause of the fishermen.

"Then, what about the multi-million ringgit subsidies and grants that the government has been giving to the fishermen? Aren't the BN Government always with the people?"

The club chairman said in the parliamentary debate, he had stressed that he was not harbouring the fishermen for the abuse of the subsidies. 

"I just want to give them a chance.

"My aim in highlighting the incident was to remind them not to commit the act again. I feel they should be given a chance. We have to consider for their families who will be affected if the licences of these farmers are suspended."

However, Tiong said there must be a limit to this leniency, and if the fishermen failed to stop the abuse, the government should do what they needed to do.

Tiong made these comments yesterday in response to the statements of Chong in the newspapers earlier this week.

In his press conference, Chong had asked Tiong to lodge a complaint on the fishermen's abuses. He also called on Tiong not to harbour those committing the act.

Tiong thanked Chong for his concern, but, he expressed deep shock over the ignorance of Chong in the abuse not only in Sarawak, but, throughout the country.

"The Bandar Kuching MP seems not to understand that if the abuse is not controlled, all fishermen will have to suffer the consequences."

Tiong said Chong had shown a few lines of the Hansard report of the parliamentary debate to the reporters.

"What he did was misleading. He just showed a few lines for the benefits of his argument, He did not present the whole picture to the reporters."

He said the whole context of the debate must be looked into to understand the situation. Tiong asked public members to read the whole debate themselves in www.parlimen.gov.my/hindex/pdf/DR-18122008.pdf.

He asked Chong to play his role as an MP. 

"Never take advantage of a situation. Never forego a just cause for one's political benefits. Never pretend that the abuse of the fishermen has not happened."